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The paper test and the right angle

So...I got my stone 1000/6000 and have been watching about 10,000 videos on sharpening but still felt a little intimidated so, I bought some guides to put on the knives and off I went. I have sharpened my Global's and my Shun but I don't seem to be getting the results I expected. I try to be really methodical and slow but have trouble finding the burr. Some people on the forum had mentioned that global's can be hard to get a burr so I keep trying. When I do the paper cutting test, the knife dosent seem to do it as easy as I see on the videos, any suggestions. How long will it take before I can dump the guides and how important is maintaining the angle during the stroke?

have you tried using sharpie to see what's going on with your bevels? Also, with a burr, you might just need to keep going for a bit until you're really sure its there.

With regard to angle consistency in mid-stroke, its pretty important. It will never be 100% perfect (unless you use a mechanical device, which i happen to be against for a variety of reasons, to maintain the angle and even then there are other problems), but thats ok. Just get as close as you can.

Extremely important. It's one of the most important aspects. I would say dump the guides. Not sure if you can build up muscle memory with them on. I never used them and I learned just fine. Sure I made mistakes along the way but that's exactly how you learn. Once you take the guide off you have to learn how to sharpen without them anyway. It's almost like you have to learn to sharpen twice.

I've always been a fan of the guides for some one starting out. Any tool that is dirt cheap and makes learning easier is a bonus. They should never be a crutch or a permanent solution but they do help some get a feel for holding the knife at a consistent angle.

I think pressure is as important, but not mentioned nearly as much as consistent angle. Are you backing off the amount of pressure as you progress? I usually end with feather light back stropping only; makes a big difference...

The difference between try and triumph is a little "umph"! NO EXCUSES!!!!!!!chefchristophermiller@yahoo.com